Calley Means, one of the key figures in the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, said on Thursday that he was stepping down from his role as a senior health adviser in the Trump Administration.
In a post on X, Means said that he was resigning “with tremendous respect” for President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“They laid out a vision of combatting the entrenched, dark forces in DC that profit from Americans getting sick,” Means said. “More policy and cultural change has happened around these goals in the past 2 years than any time in history—and I know this movement is just getting started.”
News outlets including the New York Times and POLITICO, citing anonymous sources with knowledge of the situation, have reported that Means was becoming increasingly frustrated because he felt that there was little movement on issues central to the MAHA agenda—for instance, on the issue of defining and regulating ultraprocessed foods.
Means, who was pivotal in coordinating an alliance between Kennedy and Trump during the 2024 election cycle, has championed the Administration’s food-policy agenda, including efforts to persuade manufacturers to stop using artificial food dyes in their products and to restrict the purchase of soda with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in some states.
In his social media post, Means heralded those actions, as well as his efforts to reform dietary guidelines and his push for research into psychedelic medications.
“It was an honor to advocate for MAHA moms in the administration,” Means said.
Means is the latest figure in the Trump Administration, and specifically in the Department of Health and Human Services, to resign or be ousted from their role over the past year. In May, Dr. Marty Makary stepped down as the head of the Food and Drug Administration amid pressure from within and outside of the Trump Administration. Last year, the White House fired Susan Monarez as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In April, Trump withdrew his nomination of MAHA leader Dr. Casey Means—Calley Means’ sister—for the position of U.S. Surgeon General after the nomination failed to garner enough support in the Senate.
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